Ken Bennett, Arizona Secretary Of State, Does Full Retreat On Birther Call

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett backed off his birther demands on Wednesday, going so far as to say that he considered the matter of President Barack Obama's ballot eligibility "closed."

On Tuesday night, Bennett, also an Arizona co-chair for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, apologized for creating controversy and feeding a birther frenzy by requesting that Hawaiian officials verify the president's birth documents.

"If I embarrassed the state, I apologize, but that certainly wasn't my intent," Bennett, who had earlier threatened to keep Obama off the ballot if his inquiry wasn't met, said during an interview with radio station KTAR.

He withdrew further on Wednesday in the wake of Hawaii's eventual verification of his request.

"At the request of numerous constituents, I merely asked Hawaiian officials to verify the information contained within President Obama's original birth certificate," Bennett said. "They have complied with the request and I consider the matter closed."

Joshua Wisch, special assistant to Hawaii Attorney General David Louie, told The Associated Press in an email late Tuesday that the matter is resolved after Hawaii gave Arizona the verification it was looking for.

Bennett, who has maintained that he doesn't share the beliefs of more outspoken birthers, had also claimed to be going through a similar process to verify Romney's Michigan birth certificate. It's unclear if he'll continue to pursue that option.